Coming of Age in Contemporary American FictionEdinburgh University Press, 2007 M04 18 - 200 pages This book explores the ways in which a range of recent American novelists have handled the genre of the 'coming-of-age' novel, or the Bildungsroman. Novels of this genre characteristically dramatise the vicissitudes of growing up and the trials and tribulations of young adulthood, often presented through depictions of immediate family relationships and other social structures. This book considers a variety of different American cultures (in terms of race, class and gender) and a range of contemporary coming-of-age novels, so that aesthetic judgements about the fiction might be made in the context of the social history that fiction represents. A series of questions are asked:* Does the coming-of-age moment in these novels coincide with an interpretation of the 'fall' of America?* What kind of national commentary does it therefore facilitate?* Is the Bildungsroman a quintessentially American genre?* What can it usefully tell us about contemporary American culture? Although the focus is on the conte |
From inside the book
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Page 1
... knowledge of genre theory is invaluable as a guide to how adolescence in the novel might be approached. Recognising an individual work's relation to its proper genre is often fundamentally important to the act of interpretation, because ...
... knowledge of genre theory is invaluable as a guide to how adolescence in the novel might be approached. Recognising an individual work's relation to its proper genre is often fundamentally important to the act of interpretation, because ...
Page 7
... knowledge. The novels considered in the present work are particularly notable, among dozens of recent coming-of-age novels, for their ability to tread such a line with a tact and sophistication that distinguishes them as exceptional ...
... knowledge. The novels considered in the present work are particularly notable, among dozens of recent coming-of-age novels, for their ability to tread such a line with a tact and sophistication that distinguishes them as exceptional ...
Page 9
... knowledge, despite a self-consciousness about its status as fiction, is a central component of coming of age. In this respect, these novels can be seen as part of a response to the common perception that America does not have a ...
... knowledge, despite a self-consciousness about its status as fiction, is a central component of coming of age. In this respect, these novels can be seen as part of a response to the common perception that America does not have a ...
Page 10
... knowledge of American history, and that knowledge itself becomes a significant part of the protagonist's coming of age. These contexts and origins become, in turn, the focus of the novel's social critique; they are the history with ...
... knowledge of American history, and that knowledge itself becomes a significant part of the protagonist's coming of age. These contexts and origins become, in turn, the focus of the novel's social critique; they are the history with ...
Page 16
... knowledge of origins, and that search is given a characteristically American inflection by these novels' particular journeys. Russell Banks, Rule of the Bone Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published in 1885 and remains ...
... knowledge of origins, and that search is given a characteristically American inflection by these novels' particular journeys. Russell Banks, Rule of the Bone Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published in 1885 and remains ...
Contents
1 | |
15 | |
Growing up in the Sixties | 46 |
Chapter 3 Citation and Resuscitation | 72 |
Life Sentences | 98 |
Chapter 5 Lexicon of Love | 130 |
6 Memoirs and Memorials | 154 |
Conclusion | 181 |
Bibliography | 183 |
Index | 189 |
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Common terms and phrases
adolescence adult aesthetic American argued attempt attention authority becomes begins believes Bone Bone’s called challenges chapter characterised characters child childhood circumstances closely coming of age coming-of-age contemporary critical crucial culture death defined depiction desire dramatises Edgar especially example experience expression father feel fiction final Fishboy further genre girls gives growing idea identity important innocence integral interest interpretation issue kind knowledge language linguistic Lisbon Lucille Lucille’s Maisie male means metafiction Mona Mona’s moral mother narrative narrator nature never novel origin parents particular partly past Phillip politics protagonist Prozac Nation Purple question reader reading recognise relationship respect response Ruth scene sense significant simply simultaneously social society speak specific story structure subjectivity suicide symbolic takes tell things understanding United voice women writing young